JUlrich

I wish all of you Happy Holidays: Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Kwanzaa and Seasons Greetings (hopefully, I didn’t forget any greeting). Let’s do what we can thisholiday season to assist those who lost so much in the Camp fire and Malibu fire with our prayers and material offerings (which can also be given after the holiday season.)

The Monday after Thanksgiving, I went to Ace Hardware at Lark and Los Gatos Blvd. in Los Gatos; I was looking for the government-approved (N95) masks for ‘bad air’ days such as we recently experienced. Although I didn’t hold out much hope that they had any, I was told they had just received a new shipment. So I bought a few boxes for family use. My point is that the other hardware stores probably have new shipments as well and it might be a good idea to make your purchase before they run out again.

Look for some changes in the DISPATCH to protect personal privacy and increase reading ability.

At our Dec.18 general meeting, we will be honored with Liz Gibbons, a chapter member, administering the oath of office to our Board and Committee members for 2019. I want to again thank the chapter members who volunteered to take on assignments for the first time: Sharon and Paul Levine, Charlene Silva, Lily Hirota, Rosaleine Higgins, Leona Fails, Jeanne Ulrich, and Harry Kiesler.

The December program will be an entertaining array ofmusic to enjoy, relax, and energize you to the hectic bustleof the holiday season. Come and enjoy the music – HarpersHall makes its home in the San Francisco South Bay Areaand Central California Coast.

Their purpose is to promotean appreciation of the folk harp, to cultivate its livingmusical tradition, and to preserve the fun and magic of theharp for members and for the general public. Theirmembers range from beginning harp players toprofessional musicians. They hold monthly gatherings atmembers’ homes or other locations during which theyconduct mini-workshops, practice repertoire, share musicwith each other, and snack on treats that they bring toshare. In addition to these regular get-togethers, theyperform for festivals, host workshops and house concertsfeaturing traveling harpists, and hold annual harp retreats.

Leave clean clothing, bedding and nonperishable food for Sacred Heart on the bench outside. Please do not bring garage-sale-type items for Sacred Heart. Please bring books to share. Place these items on the first table: donations for the troops, new and used greeting cards in the box; your volunteer hours in purple envelope.

The $26.00 price will include one of 4 entrees, salad, beverage, and dessert.Entree #1 Lasagna baked in a meat sauce, served with zucchiniEntree #2 Garlic chicken served with pasta and zucchiniEntree #3 Fettuccine Prawns Alfredo in a cream sauceEntree #4 Vegetarian selection penne primavera in a red sauce tossed with zucchini, carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms in a marinara sauce.

The social committee will accept checks and your firm menu selection at the December and January meetings at Q80, Campbell Community Ctr., Campbell, CA. Please write your menu selection on the bottom of your check, which should be made to: AARP Chapter 5151.

It’s time for renewal of your 2019 Membership dues…Annual membership dues are $17, with your Dispatch sentby Regular Mail. If you would like to have the Dispatchsent to you by e-mail, your dues will be $14. You get thediscount and we save on paper, printing and postage. Youcan mail your check to me at the address on theMembership Application, or pay at the December meeting.We’re trying for an end-of-this-year deadline. Thanks!

AARP’s current campaign in Congress is in regards to the new law that was signed in August of this year. It included two improvements to Medicare Part D that AARP is pleased with – closed the donut hole a year earlier and permanently increased the discount that brand-name drug companies have to provide to beneficiaries in the donut hole from 50% to 70%. The higher discount from Pharma companies will help get beneficiaries out of the donut hole and into catastrophic coverage faster, where their costs will go down significantly.

AARP is asking its members (that’s us) to call our Representatives and Senators to let them know that we want the lower prices and costs; we NEED those lower prices. They need to stop kowtowing to those big Pharmas and put us first. And we certainly do not need any more lame-duck sessions… (But first, you might want to thank them for the improvement they have already made.)

For Our Representatives:

Older Americans continue to struggle to afford their medications. The average Part D enrollee takes 4.5 medications a month and the median annual income for Medicare beneficiaries is $26,000–while brand-name drug prices rose four times the rate of inflation in 2017. We know that Pharma is doing everything they can to rollback the discounts in the lame-duck session and we need your help again to protect these improvements. Instead of raising costs on seniors, we need to build upon this progress and do more to lower drug prices and costs.

For Our Senators:

Drug companies are trying to get you to break the deal so they can raise seniors’ drug costs and boost their profits. We need you to protect seniors and not Pharma profits. We know that Pharma is lobbying behind closed doors to get members of Congress to help boost their profits and stick seniors with higher drug costs. This is yet another way that drug companies are boosting their profits and forcing American consumers to continue paying the highest drug prices in the world. Protecting Profits: Drug companies are protecting their profits and spending millions on lobbying and TV ads in order to protect their monopolies, control prices, and raise your costs.

Do not let your voice go unheard. Call, write, email your Representative and Senators. Let them know we still have a long way to go.